UIT Talks is a semi-regular town hall program designed to provide information and dialog opportunities for the University of Utah community regarding UIT initiatives, projects, and services. Watch for announcements regarding future UIT Talks events, and check the UIT Talks events webpage for updates.

CITY OF ROCKS CLIMBING TRIP WITH OUTDOOR ADVENTURESPre-trip meeting on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 | 5 p.m.Friday, May 12-Sunday, May 14, 2017City of Rocks, Idaho

Join Outdoor Adventures on an exciting weekend trip to the famous City of Rocks. The trip will cost $100 + tax.
Trips don’t disappoint and this one will be no exception.
Register early by calling Outdoor Adventures at 801-581-8516 or stop by in person at the Student Life Center.

In celebration of National Meditation Month, please join us in exploring and experiencing what mindfulness has to offer. The University of Utah Health Office of Wellness & Integrative Health, the Resiliency Center and the GME Wellness Program are kicking off a series of FREE, introductory mindfulness sessions with 3 classes in May.

We will be running classes through the summer. Stay tuned for times.

We will run a formal 8-week course in the fall.

Classes will be led by Trinh Mai, faculty in the College of Social Work.

Take a short trip with us in our own backyard as we backpack the Lone Peak Wilderness area. The trip will cost $50 + tax.Backpacking Lone Peak is a great a trip for both experienced and beginning trekkers.
Register at Outdoor Adventures in the Student Life Center or call 801-581-8516.

What if the blood-thirsty plunderers you once thought you knew, were really just misunderstood explorers, farmers and traders?

Come explore Vikings to discover the truth about the Vikings age and dispel long-held stereotypes about its people, traditions and influence. Find yourself captivated by more than 400 authentic artifacts- some never before seen outside Scandinavia — including jewelry, funeral urns, weapons, game pieces, clothing and even a piece of 1,000-year-old Viking bread.

When you visit Vikings at Natural History Museum of Utah you will:

Imagine a Viking voyage as you marvel a full-scale replica of a Viking ship

Play a digital version of a popular Viking strategy game that pre-dates chess

Test the balance between the blade and handle of a replica Viking sword

Click here for more information and go here for hours and admission prices.

MAY IS NATIONAL BIKE MONTHThrough May 31, 2017

May is National Bike Month, sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists and celebrated in communities from coast to coast. Established in 1956, National Bike Month is a chance to discover the many benefits of bicycling.

The University of Utah is a Bicycle Friendly University, recognized by the League of American Bicyclists for promoting and providing a more bikeable campus for students, staff and visitors. Those who bike to campus save money on fuel, spend less time in traffic congestion, and integrate physical activity into their daily routine. Biking also helps alleviate personal stress, reduce rush-hour congestion, vehicle emissions and fuel consumption and lessens the amount of parking needed.

Get on your bike and celebrate at these local events during Bike Month, or give biking to campus a try.

We invite you to explore the great range of human diversity with us. The biological bases for who we are–as humans and as individuals–are not fixed and not uniform. No two of us are the same. As a result, categories constructed to divide us from each other, based on concepts like race or gender, need to be examined and questioned.

Even those variations that fall farther from the average–those we typically deem “disabilities,” like deafness and Down syndrome–bring tangible and intangible benefits to those who carry them and the communities in which they live.

Give the challenge of defining “normal,” new genetic tools that promise to correct “abnormalities” and improve human life demand scrutiny. What are their promises and pitfalls? They may empower parents desperate to change the biological inheritance of their offspring. But they may also further privilege those with many advantages.
These technologies also suggest radical possibilities: Could we amplify the already vast diversity of human forms? Why not consider the strengths of other species–and reimagine our own?